2ART: To Always Remember Thee
by yuARELoveD
Summary: When Kaiba thinks he sees a mermaid in the ocean & rescues her, what will become of them? KaibaxOC
1. Chapter 1: Little Mermaid

A/N: My friend Monika Mitsugawa, previously known as "PiNkLeM0NaDE" on Quizilla, first wrote this and never finished it. At first, I planned to post the entire thing as is, but… my flash drive had been wiped _clean_ so there was way no way I could do that. Except for the first two chapters, the remainder of the story is entirely mine, save the fact that I don't own YuGi-Oh or any of the characters associated with them.

She wrote this in dedication to the author "NekoZukiKyo" and I am continuing that on as well. After all, she _is _my bestest friend :D

About the story.  
Yes, I _am _writing a Seto Kaiba fanfic, as surprising as it might be but it always sounded pretty darn interesting to do so _and _it's for a friend so… what the heck! Why not? The title, "2ART" is in dedication to the arts: photography, dance, music & acting. I wish I could have added more but oh well… Have fun and don't forget to review!!

-yuARELoVeD

**Chapter One: Little Mermaid**

I sat at a cherry wood table with six other men. The meeting had been going on for the past three hours without any progress and now several people were twitching in their chairs. My back was stiff so I cracked it, making everyone else at the table jump.

One man, a representative from Kobeyashi, stopped twiddling his thumbs and sat up. "Mr. Kaiba, like I had stated earlier, Kaiba Corp needs to find a model within the next three months to star in the Calpico commercial."

The representative from Mitsugawa Industries chimed in. "Before that matter of business, our CEO emailed you a request for a new song artist in exchange for our company sponsoring the opening of KaibaLand. Not to mention _next month's_ deadline for the winter clothing line model, might I add?" The arguments sparked once again and the room was noisy with bickering representatives.

I cleared my throat and the room became silent. "Like I also had stated earlier, Kobeyashi has not sent me a script or any information on the requirements of the Calpico model. Mitsugawa Industries, I will send further information in time. Please tell your CEO to be a bit more patient. Also, I would like to remind you at this point that Kaiba Corp has the power to shut down any of your companies so I would like to see that the representatives are better prepped for meetings like these. I hereby call this meeting adjourned."

There was an awkward silence throughout the room, as if each person has just realized what their mistakes could have cost them. Meanwhile, the representative from Kobeyashi tried to lighten the mood. "Ahem, now that the meeting's over, why don't you join us for a nice stay at the sauna nearby and relax a little?" The other men laughed and agreed.

I looked at my watch. "I have another meeting in three hours and I don't have enough time to even get there. I'm sure you understand." My abrupt tone startled the other businessmen.

"Oh-! Yes sir. We do understand. I'm sorry we brought it up."

I straightened my silver tie and put my black jacket on over a plain white button down shirt. I stood up to dust off some white specks on my black pants and walked out of the room without another word. There, Max led me out to the parking lot. As soon as I got into the car, I immediately took a deep breath and relaxed.

Max chuckled. "Stressful day, sir?"

"Very. The room was filled with a bunch of amateurs." He slowly drove out of the underground parking lot and began to hit the accelerator as soon as we hit the highway.

"I can imagine. Well, I hear that you agreed to find a model and a new song artist. Just how are you thinking of managing that, sir?"

I sighed. "I really don't know. It seems just about impossible with all these wanna-be artists these days."

We drove on for several minutes without another conversation until Max asked a peculiar question. "Sir, do you believe in fairytales?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Me, believe in fairytales? That's more like something Mokuba would believe in."

Max brushed it off; he was used to people with cold personalities. "Perhaps then, is that a 'no,' sir?" There was a brief pause and when I did not reply, Max went onto to continue talking on his own. "Well, I read someone where in the papers this morning that some odd professor in America has began an expedition to search for the lost city of Atlantis."

Just as Max had begun talking once again, a viewpoint came into view. It was an ordinary beach on a day like any other. However, today, there were no people running around the shores. After all, the cold season was beginning and it was way too windy and chilly to be outside, nevertheless, to go swimming.

As fate might have brought Max to the subject of fairytales, something white in the water caught my eye.

_I__t couldn't be…_

"MAX! Park the car… RIGHT NOW!"

Max was so confused he hit the brakes right away. "Sir?? What's the matter?" he asked, startled. I threw the door open and ran out of the car before he had his answer. As I ran closer, I saw that it wasn't just my imagination. There really was something out there in the water.

_Heaven forbid… mermaids don't exist in real life! …Do they?_

As I sprinted towards the shore, the glare faded and the outline began to come into view. I stopped when I felt the water touch my shoes and I took a step back. I stood there staring at the water when I finally realized the figure had disappeared. I scanned the area but there was nothing there in the water, not even stray seaweed floating around.

"Sir!" I looked over my right shoulder to see Max running towards me, out of breath. "Sir, what happened?"

"Didn't you see that?" Max looked at me, puzzled.

I didn't know quite how to explain it. "There was this thing… glowing… in the water. It seemed for a second there that it was a white mermaid of some sort," I said, my voice incredulous.

Max laughed. "I'm sorry I'm laughing, sir, but the weather must be getting to you. Perhaps it was the question I asked you." He looked back towards the water and pointed along the horizon line. "You see? There isn't anything there at all." Suddenly, the wind began blowing harder and tore my jacket open. "Oh my! Sir, we better get you home! Come with me please."

I walked back towards the car, using all my strength to fight against this wind. Just as we got halfway across the sand, I felt this sudden urge to turn around and look back once again but I ignored it.

The second I took the next step, I heard a faint splashing sound. I turned around and saw that the figure was back. I sprinted back towards the waters and heard Max call out for me but ignored it and pressed on. I had to know what it was.

Now that I wasn't fighting the draft, (rather, it supported me) I began moving my body faster than my legs could run. Just as I hit the water, the wind stopped and I knew had a clear view of the water. It wasn't a mermaid- it was a girl wearing a white dress and she seemed to be losing her consciousness. As I drew closer to the water, I threw off my jacket and shoes. At this point, they would be nothing but dead weight.

I dove into the water and at that minute, I realized exactly how cold the water was. The water stabbed at my lungs and I forced myself to come up for air. I looked around for her and saw that she was floating farther away.

_Where did she come from??_

I looked around, trying to figure out how she might have had possibly gotten this far from shore. She wouldn't have intentionally walked into the water for a swim on her own, not in that dress. Not to mention there wasn't a towel or bag in sight.

Just then, to my left, I saw a cliff with a seventy-four foot drop. A little beyond the cliff, I saw a blue sign with the words, "Vista Pointe," on it with bold white lettering. It stood at the end of a narrow path that seemed to lead to the highway. There was no railing around the edge of the cliff and I eyed the drop. I would never dive off of that. The thin trim of jagged rocked below made me shudder.

_No way. _

Shocked, I looked back at her. She definitely didn't seem like the person who would go cliff diving during this season or just about anything dangerous at all. Just then, I heard tires squeal. At first, though I highly doubted it, I thought Max might have left me. However, the sound had come from the cliff. I turned around and saw gravel falling from the edge of the cliff. I got a glimpse of the license plate, but it was too far to distinguish the letters.

_**NO WAY**__. _Realizing just how bad the situation had become, I swam towards her and sped up my strokes. _Why am I going after her?_

I inhaled and dove into the water once more. Under the layer of water, it was pitch black as if all life had been sucked out. _If this was Mokuba, I'd still be doing the same thing. But this __**isn't **__Mokuba. __**This **__is some stranger whom I've never met._

I swam forward, trying to remember which direction the girl was in. All those years of swimming and working out were finally paying off.

_A life is a life. Still, I'm not the type that would go out of their way and save someone either. So, what's the deal with this inner conflict? _I came up for air again and nearly crashed into her. She began sinking and without thinking, I dove after her, forgetting to take a breath. I reached out and wrapped my arms around her waist. Just then, I coughed under water and swallowed some saltwater.

_Disgusting._ I kicked as hard as I could but she began slipping from my grasp. _Shit. I'm drowning._ Saving someone was harder than I thought. Not that I had actually thought about it before. _I can't die here. Not yet, now or never._

I tightened my grip under her armpits and kicked swiftly. After what seemed like ages, I finally reached the surface of the water. I threw my head back and took a huge gulp of air. Still breathless, I tried to paddle ashore with her, but failed.

_I'm sinking._ I flipped over, carrying her over my own body, and began swimming backwards towards the shore. _Urgh, the backstroke. My worst stroke. _

Surprisingly, this worked much better and the waves began to carry me ashore. After two hundred and thirteen more kicks, my sodden feet touched sand. From here on, I lifted her up and carried her to dryer land. Just when I thought I has reached far enough from the waves, my hands slipped and I (accidentally) dropped her to the ground.

Exhausted, I called out for Max who was already running towards me. I slumped down, and when I did, I saw that my hands were covered in blood.

_**What?!**_

I quickly wiped my hands on my shirt, looking for any cuts or gashes. There wasn't any. Wide-eyed, I looked at the girl I just rescued. Lo and behold, there was a gash on the left side of her head, probably from her plunge down the cliff. I sharply inhaled and winced. It would definitely need some medical attention.

"Max!" I cried out. "Call for an ambulance!"

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A/N: Here again! Just realized… my "Max" seems an awful like the butler for "Batman Begins" & "The Dark Knight." But this _was _written in a foreign country & it was written before the movie came out. Interesting thought though…


	2. Chapter 2: Illumina

Chapter Two: Illumina

As Max ran towards me, he flipped his phone open. Unexpectedly, I saw him stop. "What's wrong?" I asked. In all this panic and chaos, I heard my voice slightly quivering.

"I have no signal."

I was now fully conscious. "What?! Get **my** phone and check if the GPS signal on the car is working."

He ran back to the car, pressed a few buttons and dug around for my cell. "Mr. Kaiba!" he yelled out, "It's not working!"

"Which one?"

"Both! We're out of the signal range!"

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME??"

I groaned. Who would imagine something like this would happen? "Max, start the car. We're going to have to drive to the nearest hospital. NOW!"

I heard Max mutter something inaudible and fumble with the keys. Meanwhile, I summoned the remainder of my energy and picked her up again. Now that she had dried off a bit, she wasn't that heavy. In fact, she wasn't heavy at all and felt fragile.

Max managed to start the car just before I reached it and opened the door. I laid her down in the rear seat of the car and sat next to her. As I put her down, Max drove off and my hand grazed the back of her neck. Her skin felt hot to the touch. My voice rose with urgency. "Max, drive faster."

"But sir, I'm already driving at eighty miles an hour!"

I closed my eyes and exhaled. "Stop the car."

He drove on, but turned around to look at me. "Sir, what about her?"

"JUST PARK THE CAR!" I must have scared him quite a bit because he parked the car in record time. "Get out." He didn't bother questioning me anymore. As he got out of the car, I got out and climbed into the driver's seat. Max raised an eyebrow and walked toward the passenger seat.

"Don't sit there; sit in the back with her. Make sure she doesn't get hurt any more than she already has." He did as I said, but moved with a bit of hesitation. He didn't even get to close the door when I kicked the accelerator pedal with full force.

"Sir! You need to slow down!" Max pulled the door with all his strength and barely managed to close it. I watched the needle steadily move across the speedometer. 70… 85… 98… Even so, I raced on, my heartbeat faster than the car. 100… 105…

I caught up to the car in front of me… too quickly! I managed to swerve and pass the Forest Green SUV in the nick of time. Max, who had been quietly sitting in the backseat, became noisy again.

"Sir, if you get in an accident at this speed, we're going to fly right off this ridge!"

"Well then, you better stay quiet so I can concentrate, shouldn't you?" I smirked.

108… 112… 115… 118… 119… When the speedometer reached 120 miles an hour, the needle didn't move another millimeter and I knew the car had reached its maximum. I sighed. Why did the dealers even bother painting on the extra five marks if the car wouldn't even go that fast?

After five long minutes, we finally got out of the mountain area and saw some of the smaller cities fly on by. I glanced at the rearview mirror to see a disappointed Max staring out the window. I smirked and I knew for a fact that I had beaten his previous record through the mountains.

Less than half a minute later, I spotted a blur of a billboard indicating a nearby hospital. I calculated the distance in my head. It was far from Kaiba Corp and my residence, but I didn't have time to choose.

I slowed down as I neared the freeway exit and casually maneuvered through the outlet, coming to a stop at the signal. I heard the window roll down and looked back to see Max bent over the car, desperately trying to catch his breath. I laughed silently.

Eighteen blocks later, I finally turned into the emergency room parking lot. Without even turning the engine off, I ran out of the car. I opened the passenger door and carried her limp body towards the main entrance. Once I got through the automated threshold, I laid her on the couch in the waiting room.

When the nurse at the front desk finally noticed me and the girl I had saved, she gasped, recognizing me, and paged a code red.

A doctor rushed in, accompanied by three nurses, pushing a stretcher with them. They immediately rushed her into an examination room. Not even three minutes had passed when they relocated to the operating room. No one stopped to tell me anything.

I walked back to the waiting room and nearly an hour later, the doctor was back with some news. I stood up. "How is she?" Before I could ask, Max had already said what was on my mind.

"We're going to need to run some tests when she wakes up, but she's stable for the time being. You can go in and see her now."

He handed us a map of the hospital. There was one room circled: room 223. "She's in this room." I just about snatched it out of his hands and Max stared as if I had been possessed.

As we ran through the halls, people cleared our paths. Waiting for the elevator could have taken more time than we had, so we ran up eight flights of stairs. Finally, as soon as we exited the stairway, I spotted her room.

I entered and saw that she had bandages around her head but no staples or stitches. I relaxed and looked around the room when a sudden wave of nausea hit me. I took a step back and nearly keeled over backwards when Max caught me by the wrist.

"Sir, are you alright? Should I call in the nurse?"

I shook my head. "I'm okay. Maybe I ran too hard." Max let go of my wrist and I felt my watch slide back into place when I abruptly remembered I had to go to Kaiba Corp for a meeting.

I looked back at her and saw that she was still sleeping. I tucked her in and began heading out when someone grabbed my wrist. Thinking it was Max, I turned around to face him but he was already standing by the door, keeping it open for me.

_Okay, so I guess it can't be him._

I scanned the rest of the room and finally looked down at my wrist. I saw a hand reaching out from under the covers. It was the girl who I had brought in. Max cried out. "You're awake?!" Just then, a nurse walked in with a clipboard, saw the situation, and walked back out without a single word.

The nurse returned with a silver tray. "I'm sorry, but we're going to have to do this right now, while you're awake. Otherwise, you're going to be bleeding for a very long time."

She adjusted the bed and numbed the area with some clear gel. I saw the fear in her eyes when she saw the nurse prepare the first staple. With a loud click, the first staple went in. The poor girl was shaking in both fear and pain.

The nurse positioned the next staple when the patient suddenly grabbed my hand. Before I could respond or shake her away, the staple went in and she tightened her grip, nearly cutting off all circulation in my left hand.

The wound on her head resulted in nine staples total, more than the time Mokuba had fallen out of a tree and onto the hard concrete below. The nurse finally left the room, but not before she took one final glance back at us and smiled. The girl finally left go of my hand.

The nurse returned fifteen minutes later with the doctor I had met earlier. "Doctor Patterson, I walked in here minutes ago and found her awake. I already closed the wound with staples." Dr. Patterson walked towards us and did a quick routine exam.

"She's perfectly fine." Looking back towards the patient, he asked her a question. "Do you know where you are?" She didn't reply but tilted her head and blinked. When he realized he wasn't going to get a response from her, he moved on. He lifted his pinky finger.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Still, no response. Just then, she lifted her hand and mimicked him. Dr. Patterson turned towards me again. "It seems like she has amnesia and can't speak. I don't think she PHYSICALLY can't talk, but she's forgotten HOW to… or something like that." _Wow, some doctor he_ _was._

I closed my eyes. "Don't you have any records that might identify her?" I asked impatiently.

"I already ran her through the computer and she's evidently never been here before. Sorry." _So she doesn't live around here either. Just as I thought. _

"Okay, call me if anything changes."I stood up to leave when I felt her grab my wrist… again.

The doctor laughed. "Well, well… it seems as if she's gone rather quite attached to you."

I sighed. "I decide to save someone and I end up with a puppy dog trailing my every step." I turned around to face her. "It's okay. Max, the doctors, and the nurses will stay here with you. I have to go to the board meeting."

Max was surprised. "Are you serious sir? Who's going to drive you?"

"I'll drive myself." I headed towards the door again but she hadn't let go of my wrist yet. I sighed and sat back on the stool next to her. What else was I supposed to do? "What do you want me to do?" I asked, exasperated.

The nurse walked up to us. "You should try talking to her."

Max and I both turned around and gave her a look. "Well, she seems bored." The nurse was right. In the corner of my eye, I could see her fidgeting with the remote.

"She's not going to say anything back to me," I replied bluntly.

"The doctor did say it wasn't a physical thing. Maybe if you talk to her, you can bring up some of her memories," the nurse said with a smile, her eyes twinkling as she spoke. "Just tell her who you are, how you saved her, and anything about her… if you know."

Still skeptical, I just sat there. I felt awkward about the thought of talking to myself and the room soon became silent. Just then, the nurse coughed and I heard her leave with Max.

"…Well…" I covered my face with my hands. "Amnesia, huh?"

She just stared blankly at me, her head tilted to the side in curiosity. I rested my head on the mattress, trying to think of possibly what I might just say to her. I cleared my throat loudly.

"Ahem. Um… well, I'm Seto Kaiba." As soon as I stopped talking, the room fell silent again. I sighed. "Well, if you could talk and if you still had your memory, this is where you would introduce yourself." Still, there was no response. Of course.

I sat there thinking again. After a long pause, I resumed again.

"I brought you here. To this hospital. You…" I stopped. I couldn't tell her about the car on the cliff. "You were drowning. I saved you and nearly drowned myself." I looked up to see her smiling. My eyes grew big. "…well… I guess the doctor was right about you and your condition." I paused. Now that I knew she understood me, this conversation would be different. I wanted to ask her something… but I hesitated.

"…Do you remember your name…?" She shook her head. "…_Anything_ about yourself?" She seemed disappointed because she cast her gaze down. "Ah… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." No response.

"You know what?" She finally looked up. "I'm sick of calling you 'that patient' or 'the girl I rescued.' It makes me sound conceited. I'm going to have to name you myself." It must have worked because she cheered up immediately and a small smile crept onto her face.

I tried to remember what went through my head when I first saw her. _Mermaid… I can't name her mermaid! Aqua? No. Hikari? Too common. How else can I say light?_

"Illumina." She tilted her head to one side.

Now that I thought about it, it matched her perfectly. Everything about her screamed out "light." Her complexion was soft with big brown eyes. Her hair was a bit messy but light brown. If she stood up, she might reach the top of my shoulders.

"From here on, I'm going to name you Illumina." I looked around for pen and some paper. Just my luck. The nurse had left a pad of post it notes and a black Sharpie on the table beside her bed. I grabbed both of them.

"Here, I'll write it down for you." I quickly wrote it on the pad and stuck the paper to the clipboard on the side of the stretcher. "There."

I yawned. _What time is it?? _I checked my watch. It was four… AM.

Before I knew it, I was falling asleep.

--6:00 AM --

Max came back in the room with the nurse behind him. She was about to say something but he shushed her. He seemed to be in awe. She carefully crept over to the clipboard and picked it up. Max looked over her shoulder and read the note. "Illumina… He named her?!"

They stood there, watching me and the girl now named Illumina.

"I can't believe he's sleeping either. He'd normally demand me to take him home. He'd NEVER sleep out of the house, nevertheless leaning against someone else's bed."

The Sandman must have come because I no longer heard anyone and fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3: Water Lily

A/N: Sorry it took so~ long for me to finally post it! I know I don't have an excuse cuz I wrote a lot of them before hand and all but... one word- COLLEGE. *gasp* It takes up so~ much of your time...  
Well, to make it all up to you, **I'm posting chapters three and four **:D Have fun reading & don't forget to review!

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[Chapter Three: Water Lily]

Some idiot opened the curtain and I stirred awake. The blinding light glared into my eyes and I quickly turned around to check the time: 10:45 AM.

_I have a lunch meeting at noon… I'm going to be late!_

I turned around but stopped in the middle of my tracks. Something was obstructing my view. I slowly reached for the object and peeled it off my forehead.

_What the…?_

It was a post-it. In fact, it was the same kind of post-it I used yesterday. I just stood there, staring blankly at it. With a light flick of my fingers, I turned it. I shouldn't have been surprised, but I have to admit, I wasn't really expecting the "Good Morning" written on it with a black sharpie.

I looked back to see her bright-eyed and wide awake. She must have slept well, I thought. I, on the hand, hadn't. "I'm going to grab some coffee, okay?" I said, putting my hand on her arm. She nodded.

I remembered seeing a sign on one of the floors pointing to the hospital cafeteria. Luckily, before I even reached it, I found a coffee dispenser not too far away. I put in a few coins and selected a cup of black coffee with sugar, no cream.

Taking a small sip, I began heading back to her room. When I got there, I saw her sitting on the edge of the bed, wearing the same clothes from the rescue. I was about to say something to the nurse when I noticed they weren't dirty and had been washed. Good.

When the nurse moved away, I could see that the doctor was back and examining her once more. As he was reading off something on her charts to the nurse, I glanced at the door and noticed her name had been taken off of it. Confused, I looked at Max, the doctor, the nurse, and finally, Illumina. That's when I realized the doctor was removing the IVs from her arm and the nurse was changing the bed sheets.

The doctor smiled brightly. _Probably something he learned to do while he was at med school. _"Well, that's just about it! You're ready to leave this hospital now!"

I froze. "Why?"

The doctor just stared as if I was stupid. "She functions perfectly well without the need of medications or hospital attention. There's just no need for her to stay any longer. She'll do fine at home."

Dr. Patterson headed for the door, but I stood there, blocking his way. "That's the problem. We don't know where she's from. In fact, we don't know _anything_ about her at all."

"Well, I guess that's her problem." He squeezed through. As he headed down the hall, I yelled out, "Where is she going to go?"

I could barely hear his response. "I don't know- anywhere but here!" I muttered some horrible things under my breath.

Max nervously stumbled over to me. I was still watching Illumina who, in turn, was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring out the window. "Umm… Sir, you can't just leave her out there. Maybe if she could possibly fend for herself, I wouldn't have said anything… However…"

"I get your point already. Besides, it wasn't as if I was going to dump her at the nearest corner." Max exhaled a sigh of relief while I just sighed. _To be honest, some days, I think he also works as my replacement inner consciousness._

There was a brief moment of silence while both of us tried to find a solution to this almost impossible dilemma. Just then, Max coughed and cleared his throat. "I may have an answer," he began. "Why not just let her stay at your estate? You have plenty of rooms and finance most certainly wouldn't be an issue. I doubt she would cause problems, but if she did, I would fix anything."

I was on my out the door when I turned around. "Really, Max, it would seem as if you were almost… _desperate _to bring her home. Well, if you really want to, I suppose." I walked out the door.

When I was out of hearing range, Max muttered, "It's not that I want her there for myself, but it seems as though she will do _you_ some good…"

I stopped by the house to drop off Max and Illumina then went to Kaiba Corp to begin the meeting. I was running late but who cared? It was my company after all, now that I had officially inherited it.

I got there without any trouble or traffic. Not that it was worth it. I emerged out of the same building, three hours later, as frustrated as I had been in the last meeting. We got nothing done, not since the two other companies couldn't agree on the model or artist. Each representative seemed to have their company, and _only_ their company, in mind. I sighed as I drove my car out of the parking lot. It looked like I was going to have to personally suggest both myself. Not that I wasn't used to it- it always ended up that way.

I got onto the main street and realized the traffic would be intolerable at this time of the day. _Too late._ I was already stuck amongst the other hundred other drivers. I relaxed and leaned against the back of the chair, my fingers impatiently drumming against the steering wheel. Bored and trying to avoid from getting agitated any further, I looked about my surroundings. In the passenger seat of the car next to me sat a girl. She looked familiar but I was positive I had never seen her before. I was suddenly reminded of yesterday's events and quickly sat up straight.

_I wonder… what happened to Illumina? Was she doing okay?_

As soon as the opportunity rose, I got off the main streets and took a detour. I drove swiftly, narrowly avoiding several collisions. When one of the street lights turned red before I even got anywhere near there, I was forced to stop. After that, I hadn't even driven a couple hundred yards when I was stopped at a train crossing. I sighed. This was going to turn just about impossible.

I looked at my rearview mirror. I didn't see any cars behind me. After all, not many people knew this street. I had found once when Max had accidentally turned the wrong way home but managed to get there _faster_ than usual. A shortcut.

I was about to look away when I noticed a small shop to my right. In the window, different cards, notebooks and dolls were put on display. _Huh, a stationary store. Wonder what it's doing here?_

Suddenly, a loud blaring noise snapped me awake. The train had passed and I was free to go. From there, it didn't take me long to get home.

When I parked the car and got out, I noticed it had started to drizzle. _Winter's coming alright. _I rushed to the door and when I opened it, all was silent. Not in a peaceful way but more… eerie. I glanced around the room and spotted a figure standing by the stairs.

As quietly as I could, I began to approach her. She was standing directly in front of the huge glass pane, staring out into the sunset. I didn't know if I was supposed to say anything. I silently watched her as she began to reach out towards something in the reflection in the glass. Her arm was fully extended and her hand began to close around something. Something I couldn't see.

All of a sudden, she spun around and I saw tears glistening in her eyes. Alarmed, I walked closer and asked, "Are you okay?" She simply nodded, a smile beginning to form. Seeing that she was okay, I let out a breath of relief. It had sort scared me to see her standing there, looking like that. I opened the closet and turned around to hang my jacket when I heard rapid footsteps coming up from behind me. Before I could turn around and look, I felt her wrap her arms around my chest.

I stood there, stunned. I didn't know what to do. After all, I hadn't expected that, or would have I? We stood there for a while, in that hug. (Could I call it a hug? If not, what was it?) I reached up and put my hand on hers. Not in condolence, but to detach her. After all, we couldn't just stand like this all day. I didn't want to hurt her feelings and hesitated when I heard Max cough.

He stood there, in the threshold between the kitchen and this room, with a tray. On the tray were two bowls of assorted fruits- melon balls, grapes and tangerine segments, all floating in lightly sweetened club soda. Illumina and I both grabbed one each.

I looked at Max. "Did she eat anything? Before this, I mean."

He thought for a minute. "Earlier in the day, she had honeyed toast for brunch. You know, those little cubes I always make for Mokuba when he's late for school?" He let out a breath of air and looked up. "After that, she had a small portion of the club sandwich and fries for lunch."

I popped the last grape into my mouth and drank the remnants of the bowl. "That's all?"

"That was it. She refused to eat an actual meal until you came home, sir." He calmly said this as if it were no big deal. "Oh, I should also tell you… She hasn't moved from that spot since we got here, at least not until you got home."

I dropped the bowl and it fell onto the carpeted floor. Thank goodness I had already finished it or it would have spilled all over the floor. Max picked it up off the floor. "Are you serious?" I turned toward Illumina. She finished and returned the bowl to the tray. Max left the room without answering my question. _She stood there, waiting for me to come home… Why?_

She gazed at me and her eyes seemed to ask me a question. I realized how I must have looked and immediately snapped out of it. I looked at her. She still wore the tattered pink top and khaki pants. "Okay, we're going to get you into the shower with some fresh clothes." I stopped. We didn't own any clothes for females. "You're going to have to borrow some of mine for the time being," I said, grimacing.

Together, we walked up the stairs and headed towards the room on the right- my room. I headed for the bathroom and saw her look around the room in awe and curiosity. Grabbing the towel from the rack, I looked around for a bath set. Last summer, when we first met the Mitsugawa corporation, the representative presented me with a basketful of cotton candy scented samples. I really had no use for them but Max insisted I accept them and I did.

"Wait here."

I walked down the hall and entered one of the guest rooms. Since only the three of us, now four, lived here, we had little use for all of this space and used the majority of them for storage. The bed, along with the rest of the room, was neat. It was just as if someone had woken up in this bed this morning and made it before leaving. _Max __does__ do his job well_, I thought.

I opened the closet doors… only to have them both break off. I sighed. So this was _that_ room- the room between mine and Mokuba's, a room meant for a mother. No one used this room. Ever.

I spotted the basket at the very top and took it down. I hurried back and set it beside the shower. "If you prefer to take a bath instead, there's a bathroom with one down the hall." She shook her head.

We just stood there, the awkward silence between us heavy as iron. _Surely, she __**did **__know how to take a shower, right? She hadn't forgotten, did she? The doctor did say she had amnesia but… _Illumina stared down at the floor and shuffled her feet nervously. I saw that the bottom of the left pant leg had torn and remembered.

I forgot I told her she could borrow my clothes.

I opened a few drawers and began searching through them. _So that's what this was all about…_ I looked for the smallest clothes I could find. _She'd probably fit better in Mokuba's clothes. Then again, he doesn't really have any extras._ The best I could come up with was a large white tee and some black gym shorts.

I handed them to her and sat on the edge of my bed. She walked into the bathroom and closed the door. The last thing I remember before I passed out was hearing the water being turned on.


	4. Chapter 4: The Sugar Plum Fairy

A/N: I realized that the previous chapters were _much _longer... Sorry, but I'm going to cut them shorter because 2k words per chapter seems a bit too much to me, don't you think? Well, I don't know. If you want longer chapters again, someone's going to have to email me or post a review cuz otherwise I don't know what my readers think o.O

Oh, someone (sorry that I can't name who right now- I'm actually still at the college and supposed to be doing hmwk but I felt so bad about not posting and all) mentioned that "Illumina" meant "light" in their language. How cool! I know it's based off of latin- illuminus but otherwise I, myself, don't know much about it.

I'll try to post every Tuesday from now on now that I know I can post from the school computers :D  
Now, _writing _them is a different story... *sighhhhh*  
My computer's in the storage, along with a million of my other stuff, for the time being.  
Well, I'll figure out something, I guess. Happy reading & reviewing!  
-yuARELovED

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[Chapter Four: The Sugar Plum Fairy]

I can't say how much time had passed by but something about the room had changed and I began to stir awake. Still groggy, my eyes slowly began to open and adjust. I heard a door softly open and close. When I sat up, I smelled a familiar scent in the air. _What is it…? _I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

I stumbled towards the smell, still unable see very clearly. My arm hit the wall and I stopped, realizing the smell was coming from just inches below me. _Smells like… sugar… _I leaned down and inhaled deeply when I felt something move beneath me.

…_Cotton candy…! _I gasped and suddenly become fully conscious. _Illumina._ She stood between me and the wall, looking very small and bewildered. "I'm sorry," I muttered, fleeing the room.

I walked down the stairs and saw Max in the kitchen, getting ready for dinner. "Is there anything you want me to do?" I asked.

One of the dishes he was holding clattered onto the tile floor and broke. His eyes grew round as golf balls. "I'm sorry, sir."

"What was that about? You haven't broken a dish in all those years of working here and now…" I stared at him, my eyes bright in both amusement and incredulity.

He returned the gaze. "Well, sir, in all those years of working here, you have never once offered to help with dinner, that's all." He muttered something else under his breath and it sounded like something along the lines of, "And so it looks as if I was right after all…"

I let him clean up the pieces and set the table. I looked back. "Right, Max?" I asked. "Remember the room between Mokuba's and mine? The closet doors are broken."

"Oh dear." He didn't look concerned at all. Then again, he could probably fix it in less time than it took to cook dinner. And that was no time at all.

"Well, I was thinking of letting Illumina stay in that room. So could you…?" I didn't have to say another word.

"Of course. Could I make some more changes to the room?" I nodded. Right then, Illumina came downstairs. What a sight she was. The shirt was so big you couldn't even see the shorts under them and looked as if she was wearing a very sloppy dress. I heard Max tsk behind me.

The cedar dining table suddenly seemed too big for just three people. Even so, dinner was served. Tonight, it started with an appetizer of cream soup followed by an orange sorbet to cleanse the pallet (and to help overcome the upcoming winter.) It was soon followed with stuffed chicken and a side of broth-flavored rice. It ended with mocha tiramisu. Though we were still in Japan, most of what the Kaiba family and corporation did was very westernized.

As Max cleared the table, it got very quiet. Dinner normally had been a time for Max, Mokuba and I to review the day and discuss tomorrow's plans. It was all very business-like.

A thought struck me and I excused myself from the table. I walked down the driveway when I noticed it was pouring. I looked back at the door, thinking I should get an umbrella or something but decided against it. Twenty minutes later, I was home, soaked, with a plastic shopping bag in my hand.

I found Illumina in the den, blankly staring at the turned-off television set. "Do you want me to turn it on for you?" She shook her head. Instead, she looked at the bag in my hand. I took a seat next to her on the couch and handed her the bag. "It's for you."

She poured out its contents on the coffee table. Out came several packets of post-its, all varying from size and color, two note pads and a notebook along with a few writing utensils. She reached over and hugged me.

Once again, I froze. I tried to stand up and walk away. Instead, I felt myself crashing to the floor, my head hitting something hard before I lost consciousness.


	5. Chapter 5: Sleeping Beauty

Chapter Five: Sleeping Beauty

I woke up sometime later to feel something wet on my forehead. I opened my eyes and let them adjust. The right side of my head hurt. My eyes roamed the room and I realized I must have hit the arm of the couch before I fell to the ground.

But I wasn't on the ground. I was lying on the couch that had attacked me.

I looked around some more and saw that Illumina was sitting on a stool beside me, mopping my brow. _So that's what why my forehead felt wet. It feels good… _The first thing I notice about her was that her outfit had been changed. Yet, at the same time, it looked awfully familiar.

It appeared that Max had taken the shirt I had given her last night and sewn it up to fit her nicely. He removed the sides of the torso to replace the sleeves with longer ones. It was still long enough to be considered a dress and billowed out at the bottom ends but it looked fine. He had also taken her pants, the ones I had found her in, and recreated them into capris.

I heard footsteps and saw that Max had entered the room. "You should have been more careful, sir," he scolded. "After all, you tired yourself out when you went out to save her, in freezing temperatures, might I add. Since then, you haven't rested properly and even came home drenched last night. I say you deserve what you got."

I twisted my head around to face him properly. "Really… I should fire you then, no? A butler with such _horrid_ manners…" He didn't even flinch. He knew when I was teasing him.

"Oh? Well, I was going to add that you _didn't_ deserve someone staying awake all night to take care of you and that you didn't have to worry because it _wasn't me_. **I** had a good night's sleep and rose nice and early. Illumina, on the other, didn't sleep a wink."

_She… what?! What time is it? How long have I been out? _I bolted up but the sudden rush of blood didn't agree with my current condition and I blacked out again.

* * *

A few hours later, I woke up feeling much better. There was no towel on my forehead but it now felt cool to the touch. My fever was gone. I opened my eyes. It was still light outside. I tried to move up I felt some pressure on my stomach. I looked down to see that Illumina was asleep. On me.

She laid there, her face facing mine. I guess I had never taken the time to actually take a good look at her because how she appeared just registered in my mind.

Illumina had soft brown hair that reached just passed her shoulders. Her eyes were closed but I remembered that her eyes were also brown. Most of her features were petite, in accordance to her 5'4" height and slender limbs.

She seemed so peaceful sleeping there that I just wanted to let her be. Yet… she would be more comfortable in her own bed.

I reached over and picked up. She couldn't have weighed more than 120 pounds at the most. I carried her up the stairs and to her room. When I got there, I found the door slightly opened and pushed it with my foot. I placed her on the bed and covered her with a blanket.

I looked around to see that Max had fixed up the room to better suit her. _Occasionally, I think if Max entered an arts and crafts competition, those old women wouldn't stand a chance. Look at what he does around the house!_ The furniture had been changed. There was a mirror hanging against the wall and an armoire had been placed in the corner of the room. I approached it to get a closer look at the wood when I saw a sticky note on its handle.

It was in Max's writing. "While you were out cold, I took the liberty of buying her some new clothes. You can buy her the rest if there's anything else she needs. Max."

I opened the doors and found it packed with clothing. Inside, there were two winter dresses, a fur jacket, several solid colored turtlenecks, and a variety of long sleeve tops. Neatly folded on the top shelf were quite a few pairs of pants. This was all topped off with a pair of boots that were placed in the corner.

_I __knew__ it! Max had been trying to bankrupt me for ages and this was proof! _I chuckled quietly. At least he hadn't bought clothes for all four seasons. I'd do that when the time came, if it did.

It suddenly dawned upon me. _How long would she be here for?_ I hadn't really thought about it when Max suggested we take her in… but… _We might have to buy her more clothes for the upcoming seasons, _I thought. At this rate, she might end up a permanent guest.

I turned my attention to the rest of the room and closed the armoire. Instead of simply replacing the closet doors, he took out the frame and added curtains in their place. Frilly, _pink_ curtains made of _lace_.

_Perhaps… being in a house with men for too long has greatly affected Max. …Yeah, that's got to be it._

Mildly disturbed, I crept out of her room and closed the door. I began heading towards the railing when I heard a fax come in.


	6. Chapter 6: Porcelain Doll

Chapter Six: Porcelain Doll

A/N: I dedicated this chapter to someone I know, another writer. Can you guess who?

Still hearing the fax beep go off, I went downstairs to see a **mound** of papers fallen below the fax. I picked one up. It was a modeling resume.

Groaning, I began to pick them up. There must have been at least fifty already one the floor and yet, still more were being faxed. Finally, it all came to a stop and few minutes later, one last fax came.

It was a note from the secretary. It read, "Since I hear from Max that you're not going to be coming into the office anytime soon, I've gone on and faxed you the resumes and headshots for the winter fashion model. Pick one, and soon, sir. The deadline is in less than a week."

_I never called in sick._ I picked up the phone. "Back to work again, sir?" Startled, I nearly dropped the phone. Behind me stood Max.

"No. Well, sort of. I have to pick a model by the end of today."

He seemed content. "Max?" I asked. "Did you call the office for me and tell them I was sick?

"I did, sir." His voice sounded courteous but I could hear something else in his voice. If someone else had heard it, they could have mistaken it for thorns. "Did you really think they would let you back at the office in your condition? Unconscious?"

I didn't say anything. If he wanted to play, I might as well have just let him. "Besides, what are you trying to do? Have your poor butler killed? I can't possibly take care of both you and Illumina and do everything else I'm expected to."

I scoffed. What do you know? He's in _that_ mood again. "Alright, alright."

"Besides, you really needed a break." He left the room.

Taking all the papers with me, I moved into my office. Sure, I had a more "official" office back at Kaiba Corp but I also had one at home. After pouring over the resumes for several hours, I picked one out. Well, more like I simply eliminated all the others.

She was a high school senior. Reading the name at the top, I discovered she was "Raeann Michelle C." _Did the name seem familiar?_ I wasn't sure. The theme of the photo shoot had been "A Winter Doll" so I had quickly eliminated everyone who wasn't a brunette. Slender limbs would help create the image of a doll.

Taking a second look, I realized she was awfully similar to Illumina. _I wonder why… _It was too late to change my decision. I already shredded all the other resumes.

Exhausted, I put the resume down. Outside, I heard Max. "Did you sleep well Miss?" A pause. "Oh, master Kaiba's in his office, right here." The door opened and she walked in, carrying one of the notepads and a pen. On it was written, Are you busy?

I shook my head. "I just finished. Why?" She quickly turned the pad around and scribbled something. She flipped it back.

Do you want to talk? 

"Talk…?" _Oh, she must be bored,_ I thought. "Sure." Smiling, she flipped the page and when I saw it, my jaw dropped.

This was what was written on it: "What's your name? What am I supposed to call you? Who__are you? How old are you? Who's Max?" At the very bottom of the page there were two more words, "Thank you."

I took in a deep breath and exhaled. "Okay, one question at a time. My name is Seto Kaiba. If you want you can either call me 'Kaiba' or 'Seto.' Please don't add '-kun' to anything. Or call me master, like Max does. Even he rarely does that."

Pausing to take a breath, I continued on. "I'm 19 years old. At the age of 17, I took the high school exit exam and passed, graduating early to take on the family business. I now own Kaiba Corp."

She slowly nodded, comprehending everything. "Max is the butler. He's been here much longer than I have. And you don't have to thank me. If you want to thank someone, thank Max. He's the one who asked to bring you home."

Her eyes grew wide, her mouth forming an "O," and all was silent but for the pen scratching against the paper. She didn't show me what it was. I assume it was for Max.

She put the pad down on her lap and looked around the room. Her eyes landed on the framed Blue Eyes card. More writing.

"What is that?"

"It's a Blue Eyes White Dragon. It's for dueling." I paused, unsure if I should explain the process of dueling to her. She sat there, with her eyes closed, thinking for a bit. After a while, she wrote something on the next page.

"I know."

"Oh?" I was curious. Did she remember something from her past? Had Max told her something about me?

She continued to write. "I watched a live duel on the TV a few days ago." _Oh, so that's what had happened._ I sat back, remember those days. She wrote more. "Do you still duel?"

I shook my head. "Why not?"

"Why duel unless it's for something important?" We both sat there, lost in our thoughts.

There was a knock at the door. Who else would it be but Max? "Come in."

He opened the door and came in. "Sir? There's someone outside to take you to some sort of photo shoot… Do you know what that's about, sir?"

I jumped up from the desk. They had to be kidding. I just picked out the model right now and there was no way she could possibly get here in such a short amount of time. "What? I just picked the model. It can't be…"

"Well, you're going to have to go with him and explain. He's only the driver, not the actual photographer. And while you're at it, came you take Illumina with you?" I calmed down a little and stared at him. "I'm going out grocery shopping. You ate everything in fridge, remember?" He was joking.

"Anyways, I don't want to leave her here, by herself. What if she burns down the house? Or worse, faints?" _Seriously, whoever hired this butler to begin with must have had a quirky personality as well._

"You have a bigger problem with her _fainting _than _burning down the house_? Seriously? All right, I'll take her with me." I turned to her. "We're going out. Bring that fur jacket, it's going to be cold."


	7. Chapter 7: Gepetto & the Marionette

Chapter Seven: Gepetto & the Marionette

_Illumina stood there, uncertain of what she should do of herself. Kaiba had told her to wait while he went and spoke with the photographer. Just then, a girl wearing a loose tee and jeans ran up to her and grabbed her arm._

"_There you are!" she shouted. "We've been waiting for you. Come on, no need to be shy, we don't have enough time for that!"_

_This strange person dragged her across the room and sat her on a chair facing a mirror. The mirror was outlined with bright bulbs that hurt her eyes. "Oh, you'll eventually get used to it." She took out a comb and brush and began to work on her hair. "Wow… what have you done on your way here? It's all tangled. With hair this nice, you should take better care of it…"_

_Illumina didn't know if she should be terrified of her or remain calm. She squirmed in the chair. "Sit still," she scolded. "I might pull out your hair, by accident of course." Illumina immediately stopped._

"_Now, your hair is a bit on the shorter side so I guess we're going to have to add some extensions." Illumina sat as still as she could while the girl braided her hair and wove in the extensions. Slowly, the reflection in mirror began to change._

_The girl stood up straight and dusted off her hands. "There! That's the best I've done in a long time. By the way, my name's JC. What's yours?" There was a pause. JC tsked. "Mm… still quiet. Well, at least modeling doesn't involve talking." _

_JC searched the cluttered table and emerged with some sheer fabric. "This'll help accent the snow." She tied half of her hair up, careful not to expose the extensions and made two bows with the material. "There. Now, let's get you dressed and finish with some makeup._

_Illumina blushed and JC helped her into a fluffy winter dress. She then sat her back down and covered her face in a white powder. The reflection in the mirror now looked extremely pale. "That helps create the image of a porcelain doll." She spun the chair around so that she now faced her. "Good, I don't think you need any more makeup than that."_

_She rushed Illumina into the next room. The dimmed light revealed a winter store setting. A rugged man approached them from behind one of the lights. "Is this her?" JC nodded. "Good! Let's get this done." He paused then handed Illumina a pair of mittens and a plush doll purse. "Put these on."_

_She put them on. "Alright. I know this was a last minute thing so I doubt you understand much about the concept. Here's what I have in mind. I created a story behind the shoot to try and help you a bit. The character was a porcelain doll that was put on display in the store window. See?" He pointed towards the window then went on._

"_One day, a man came by and put a dress on the doll. When she wore the dress, she came alive. After all, the logo reads, 'Waiting for love on a cold winter day…' So the image we want to give is one of a girl waiting for her love, understood?" Illumina nodded, still a bit confused from all this chaos._

"_Okay, then! Let's start this shoot! Start by standing there…"_

* * *

I searched the right wing of the building but couldn't find him anywhere. I went back to the entrance and took a different turn and found myself in the dressing room. I threw open the door. "I just picked out the model a few hours ago. There's no way she'd be able to make it here today. I'm sorry Ed but we're going to have to resched…"

Seeing the room, I stopped. There stood Illumina amongst the stylist and photographer, _wearing the advertised outfit_. Confused, I stopped, letting the door close behind me. Ed turned around. "What are you talking about? We just finished."

_Illumina…_ What had happened? "Just finished? But, she's not the model I picked out…"

He was astonished. He turned around to look at her, then back to me. "Then… who is she?" I couldn't bring the out the words. He laughed. "How amusing!" He look at Illumina. "We'll still compensate you, of course. Regardless if you were the selected model or not. Oh, and, keep the dress."

The photographer walked towards me and shook my hand. "Wow, Kaiba. Here I was, thinking you had done a good job and all… Well, maybe it was just her personality or something but she was a natural." He signaled someone something and the assistant hurried over with the copies of the printed pictures.

"See?" Ed handed me the pictures. Slowly, I moved and took them from him. The pictures depicted a winter scene in front of the store. I flipped through the pictures. There was Illumina, leaning against the streetlight, looking up at the night sky. In another one, she was crouched down, petting a white rabbit.

I finally came to the last picture. Ed spoke up. "This one's my favorite. I was planning on using this one. What do you think?" The set had been dimmed but the lights from the store in the background gave the picture a soft glow. It was simple. She stood at the street in front of the store, clutching a present. But it was the aura about her face and body that made it phenomenal. The sad yet hopeful look in her eyes told the doll's story.

I had been quiet for quite a while when I looked up at Ed. He chuckled. "Hey, JC! Is it just me or does it seem that Seto's simply _captivated_ by the picture? Or is it the girl?"


	8. Chapter 8: The Making of the Nutcracker

Chapter Eight: The Making of the Nutcracker

The room burst into applause as the pictures from yesterday's photo shoot came into view on the projection. We were back at the cherry wood table, discussing the results and further plans. Also in the room were Ed, the photographer, and JC, the stylist.

The team manager spoke up first. "Now that this is done and over with, the next thing of focus is the Kaiba Corp's Winter Formal where the dress will be featured. As usual, all the committee members along with workers of Kaiba Corp, Kobeyashi and Mitsugawa Industries will be invited. This year, we are also offering a hundred tickets to the general public, available only through a raffle. Any suggestions?"

"Why don't we just keep the 'Winter City' theme and go along with it?" All the heads turned toward JC. She continued. "I assume it will be held in the Kaiba ballroom?" Everyone nodded. "I was thinking… Let's have the side walls look like the set for the shoot- small urban stores in winter. We can also add streetlight for more decoration and make the cafes into actual refreshment stands. The center, the main floor, will be the street."

A murmur of approval moved through the room. The team manager stood up. "Good. JC, you'll be in charge of the decorating committee. Now that the matter of decorations have been settled, what do you suppose we begin with?"

A small cough was heard from the back of the room. It was Ed. "Well, since we're going with the same theme as the shoot, why don't we start with a solo dance that features the dress? And… in the dance, the doll will have found her love."

One of the women spoke up. "It sounds beautiful and would match perfectly. But, who will play the parts?" The room fell silent.

Ed snapped his fingers. "That's easy. Why not the model herself? It would be the best fit, no? Now… what was that girl's name again? It… it had something to do with _light_…" He impatiently drummed his fingers against the back of the chair.

I spoke up. "Illumina."

He jumped up in excitement and thrust his fist towards the ceiling. "Right! That's her name!"

The heads nodded in agreement. "Okay. Kaiba, can you get a hold of her?" _Of course I could. She was living at my house. _I nodded, back to my silence.

Another pause. The team manager scratched his head. "Alright then. Well, Ed, you wanted a duo right?" He nodded. "Do you have an idea for the guy?"

Every head in the room spun towards my direction. "What?" I asked, hoping we didn't have the same thought in mind. _I was __**not **__going to dance. Illumina or not. _Ed made his way towards my place at the table.

He roughly cleared his throat and swallowed. "Well, you're the only one who seems to be in contact with her, nevertheless the only one who even knows who she _is_, to begin with."

I stood up. "No. If you think _I'm_ going to be willing to cooperate, you're **wrong**."

He gently pushed me back down.

"Then, who else knows… Illumina… as well as _you_ do?" The other members of the committee chimed in. After thirty minutes of persuasion and negotiations, I reluctantly agreed.

"Well, then," I said, my jaw locked tight. "What song will it be?"

Silence. Once again, Ed, with his _great ideas_. "Okay, well, let's think about the message we want to convey to the consumers." It was quiet for a moment as he stood beside me, thinking. _Should I fire my team manager and hire him instead? I should, shouldn't I? _"How about making memories? Wear the dress and… make memories." He dramatically flourished his arms.

I looked at him, trying hard not to seem as if I were glaring. "So, what's the song?"

He didn't notice anything. "Make a Memory by Bon Jovi. Technically speaking, the entire title is You Want to Make a Memory. Here, I have it on my phone." _How convenient. You probably __**planned **__this, __**didn't you**__?_

A few seconds passed and the song began. _At least it wasn't sung by a __**chick**__._ _Then again, it was a slow song. _Finally, it came to an end… **four** minutes later. The room broke into applause. _What was there to applaud?_

Ed set his phone down. "Okay then. I'll give Max the directions to a dance studio so he can pick them up on the way home. Meeting adjourned, folks! See you at the formal in… two weeks!" Everyone stared at me, uncertain if they should leave or not. I nodded, dismissing them.

I trudged my way to the parking lot where I found Max standing there, waiting for me. He held a piece of paper in his hand. "Sir? What is this all about?"

"Something stupid," I spat.

The drive to the studio didn't take long but I still didn't like it. Max picked up the two dance instructors, one male and one female, and drove us to my home. Not a single word was exchanged between any of us throughout the entire ride.

Illumina opened the door to greet us and when she saw that we had guests, her face became filled with wonder. I introduced them to her. The girl was named "Daisy" and the guy, "Jay." I told them that she was unable to speak but would convey her thoughts and ideas through paper. Their eyes were immediately filled with pity. _Stereotypical._

As they got settled in, Illumina pulled me into my office, closing the door behind us. She sat me down on my chair and frantically began to write something on the notepad. When she showed me ten minutes later, I burst out laughing. It wasn't writing but a drawing.

On top of the page, it was labeled "Grouch." She had drawn a picture of Oscar from Sesame Street, complete with his trash can. There was an arrow pointing to him. It had been labeled "Oscar" but she crossed it out and put my name instead. At the bottom, in small writing, it was written, "I watched Sesame Street earlier. You look just like him."

Seeing the reaction on my face, she took the pad and jotted something down in one of the open spaces. "Smile." I just looked at her. All of a sudden, she reached up and poked the corners of my mouth with two fingers, forcing me to smile. I laughed.

Together, we walked down to the living room where they sat, waiting for us. At first, Illumina didn't say anything. They explained the plan and played the song for her. I saw something spark in her eyes as she wrote down a few lines.

"Can I help choreograph the song?" They looked at each other then nodded- there wasn't anything wrong with having her help. Her eyes sparkled. "Do you have a copy of the lyrics?" Daisy looked at Jay who dug through his bag and pulled out a sheet of paper. Illumina took it and eyes flew through the words.

Together, the three began to exchange and discuss their ideas. Looking at the advertisement, they resolved that she would keep her hair the same way as it was in the photo. I sat there, mentally calculating this year's profits.

Max called us to dinner but the discussion continued on. Tonight, it was stuffed mushrooms (and orange sorbet, of course), turkey pot pie, and baked apples. Since it wasn't overwhelmingly sweet, I joined in on the desert.

After dinner, the five of us sat around the table with hot chocolate. It wasn't until Max went to arrange their rooms that I realized they were actually going to _live_ with us until the formal. Illumina was delighted, probably since I always left her at home by herself.

Slowly, we learned the steps to the dance along with other necessary… movements. As the days passed, we slowly grew more and more accustomed to each other's body. At first, she was shy and hesitant to actually start dancing with me but was mildly forced to. The first time I held her hand, we both blushed.

As the day of the dance rapidly approached, the two of us began to practice on our own, more and more. One night, as I was watching her work on her jetê, Illumina collapsed. I picked her up to find a pool of blood seeping through her practice dress.

Max was asleep so I drove her to the hospital myself. She stirred awake and the doctor pulled me aside. "You didn't need to rush her to the ER. She just started her period, that's all. I've already had one of the nurses explain everything to her so she should be fine."

Embarrassed, I turned bright red. "Oh."

The next morning, I told Max but the news didn't affect him at all. "Oh, I _was _wondering why I didn't have to buy any sanitary pads. Well, I guess I'll start keeping a stock of them under her bathroom sink, in case she might need them."

Dazed, I stood there watching him unperturbedly walk away.


	9. Chapter 9: Dancing Beneath the Stars

Chapter Nine: Dancing Beneath the Frosted Stars

A/N: Hello, everyone!  
A couple of months ago, I received an email from one of my readers asking why I was writing instead of my co-writer Monika and that I should stop writing them because these stories were _very _out of character. I do admit, Seto Kaiba is rather _severely_ out of character.

And so, I had decided to stop writing fan fiction all together.  
But a few weeks ago, I checked my email and saw that there were _new _readers to this story and I got several reviews and emails asking me to continue on.

Well, this is what I have decided.  
I've posted the remaining chapters that have already been written. I haven't had the time to go over them so if there are a number of mistakes, pardon me. However, I, at the moment, do not have plans to write any more.

But I have also decided that this depends on my readers. So...  
If you guys _really _want me to finish (and don't mind about the out of character-ness since I can't correct that), please submit a review or email asking me to do so.

Well, here goes nothing...yuAREl0V3d  
-------------------------------------

The day of the dance, Max could be seen running around the house, single-handedly managing everything from the catering to the decorations. _He really outdid himself this time._ I would have hired more people, just for this one day, but I was afraid it would hurt his feelings so I didn't. It actually appeared as if he was doing fine on his own.

JC, the stylist came mid-afternoon to do Illumina's hair and makeup. Before she even arrived, I was already in tonight's outfit. Max never let me wear traditional black and white, remarking that I would look like a penguin. Instead, I wore a white shirt under a cream-colored vest and tie to match with her dress. Over all of this, I wore a black split-tail coat and matching pants. Black shoes to match the overall look, of course.

_I wonder… should I have just worn my dueling outfit instead?_ It was too late to change now. I looked up to see Illumina cascade down the stairs, or at least, that's what it seemed to be. It was the same dress. She even had the mittens and the rabbit purse. Together, we went to the ballroom at dusk.

As the people arrived, they gathered near the "stores" since the all the lights were turned off and the only the store windows glowed. We stood there, hidden amongst the darkness, too afraid to move.

After what seemed like an eternity, the doors were finally closed. Everyone had arrived. My heartbeat grew more rapidly and the anticipation rose to its peak as people whispered about, curious about the lights.

The audience gasped as the streetlights were turned on. Overhead, the spotlight was turned on, focusing on Illumina and me. We stood three feet away from each other. The music started to play- the dance was starting.

**Bon Jovi – (You Want to) Make a Memory**

_Hello again, it's you and me _(0:10)

We each took a step. I bowed and she curtsied.

_Kind of always like it used to be_

We came together- the real dance was beginning to start

_Sippin' wine, killin' time_

A swing to the left then a swing back to the right

_Trying to solve life's mysteries_

Her hands slipped from mine and we parted. Her solo began.

_How's your life, it's been a while_ (0:24)

I stood, watching her twirl and dance from a distance

_God it's good to see you smile_

Unconsciously, I put my hand over my mouth just as she came closer, stifling the happiness written on my face.

_I see you reaching for your keys_

She spun around, her right arm out stretched and I grabbed her hand.

_Looking for a reason not to leave_

We stopped, a sad longing in our eyes.

_If you don't know if you should stay_ (0:37)

In one swift motion, I pulled her closed to me. I held her tighter than I had during practice and I felt her surprise. Together, we danced like that- her head on my chest and my arms around her.

_If you don't say what's on your mind_

_Baby just, breath there's nowhere else tonight we should be_

_You want to make a memory._

Breathless, she looked up at me in curiosity and… we let go of each other. My solo, if you could call it that, was beginning.

_I dug up this old photograph_ (1:08)

I took a step forward and looked at her from behind my shoulder

_Look at all the hair we have_

Turning around, I ran fingers through her hair

_It's bittersweet, to hear you laugh_

Blushing, she lowered her head and turned around

_The phone is ringing I don't want to ask_

We stood there, breathing in each other's air, our mouths unintentionally close to each other.

_If you go now, I'll understand _(1:21)

She leapt away from me, I reached out to stop her, but too late, and so I slowly lowered my arm

_If you stay, hey, I got plan_

I stood, my head bowed down as she took a step forward, backward then forward again

_You want to make a memory_

She turned around, seemed to look directly at me but we both passed each other

_You want to steal a piece of time_

Both of us stopped, our backs to each other and our right legs trailing back

_You could sing a melody to me_

She did a simple pirouette, landing in a bow, her right arm and leg outstretched

_And I could write a couple lines_

Keeping my right leg planted on the ground, I did a semi-about face to face her

_You want to make a memory_

We ran and came together

_If you don't know if you should stay _(2:13)

With each other in our arms, we swayed to the music, slowly moving along the street

_And you don't say what's on your mind_

I touched my fingers to my lips then touched her breastbone

_Baby, just breath there's nowhere else tonight we should be_

Her eyes grew round and she gasped, putting both hands over the spot

_You want to make a memory_

I clasped my hands around her hands and began the final dance.

_You want to steal a piece of time_

_You would sing a melody to me_

_And I could write a couple lines_

_You want to make a memory _(3:03)

_Ooh, you want to make a memory_

As the song faded out, we were supposed to stop and stare into each other's eyes. However, I slipped and found my lips on her forehead.

The lights turned on. The dance was over.

* * *

The audience applauded wildly. As I approached one of the cafés, I could hear two girls whispering. "I never thought I would see him so warm and gentle, not even in my own dreams."

"See? That's why you're not with him," She teased.

The other girl stuck out her tongue. "Well, it was all just an act anyways," she said, setting down her cup.

Her friend gazed at the ceiling. From it, there hung several soft bulbs, made to look like glowing puffs of snow. "That last part didn't seem like it…"

_Did it really? _I began to doubt my own feelings. _Had I done that intentionally? _I searched the room for Illumina but she was nowhere to be found. _Probably being introduced to some photographer or dancer_, I thought.

I ordered a cup of thick hot chocolate. I smirked, knowing it was probably Max's secret recipe. They had probably mass-produced these earlier in the day and simply reheated them. I sat a table, waiting for it cool. _What __does__ she mean to me? What does __she__ think?_

My thoughts disappeared into the back of my mind as Ed and JC joined me at my table. "What did I tell you? That dance was great! I loved how you added in that last part." I stood up and excused myself as I felt my face flush in embarrassment.


End file.
